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A Briton has been jailed for two weeks for sneaking out of his quarantine hotel room in Singapore to visit his fiancee.
Nigel Skea was also fined 1,000 Singapore dollars (£ 540) for breaking coronavirus rules in the city-state.
Skea, 52, left his room at the five-star Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore without wearing a mask three times in September to visit his then-fiancée, now wife, Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai in a nearby room.
She pleaded guilty to one count of helping Skea and was sentenced to one week in jail.
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District Judge Jasvender Kaur said the sentences were meant to send a “clear message” that the restrictions must be followed.
The court was told that on one occasion during their quarantine, Skea climbed an emergency staircase to enter Eyamalai’s room, where they spent nine hours together.
Most travelers have to stay in an assigned hotel room or home for 14 days after arriving in Singapore. They receive meals and regularly record their temperatures.
“Every case of non-compliance is a threat to public health,” said Judge Kaur.
Defense attorney Dhillon Surinder Singh said his clients had “mixed feelings” about their sentences, but would not appeal.
The couple had faced a sentence of up to six years in prison and a fine of 10,000 Singapore dollars (£ 5,340) for each count.
Skea is the first Briton to be jailed in Singapore for violating coronavirus rules. A handful of others have had their work passes revoked and fines paid.
